UP Gazette

Rep. Beau LaFave (R-Iron Mountain) is proposing new legislation that would require Michigan governors to disclose information to the public during state emergencies or disasters.

“We must ensure that no future governor is allowed to unilaterally make decisions that risk the lives of our residents without any accountability from the public,” LaFave said on the Michigan House Republicans website.

The proposed legislation stems from the aftermath of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's failure to inform the public of COVID-19-related death and infection rates in nursing homes, and implementing a policy allowing infected individuals to take up residence in long-term care facilities.

“Thousands of Michiganders lost their moms, dads and/or grandparents as a direct result of this reckless policy,” LaFave said, according to Michigan House Republicans. “I truly believe thousands of lives of nursing home residents could have been saved if Gov. Whitmer had been more transparent with the people. She didn’t want to share data that would give people an opportunity to second-guess her or make better recommendations.”

The Michigan House Republicans website states that LaFave voted to put an end to the coronavirus nursing home policy in April, but the bill that would have accomplished this was vetoed by Whitmer.

Whitmer has admitted that her policy has some flaws but insists her actions were based on the best science and information available, according to ClickOnDetriot.

“The governor is paying $5,000 per person to nursing homes as a blood bribe for them to bring contagious coronavirus patients under the same roof as our most vulnerable populations with compromised immune systems,” LaFave told Michigan House Republicans. “There’s no way the science and data support that -- that’s why she doesn’t want people to see it.”

As reported by the Michigan House Republicans website, Whitmer’s own administration has revealed that nursing home residents accounted for 34% of COVID-19 deaths in the state.